Some Personal Reflections
On the Open Forum
that occurred Sun. 9th February titled:
Media or Medium? –
Does a Democracy Today Need to Fear a Monopolization of the Media?

	This forum went for three and a half hours, commencing at 3:30 and finishing at 7:00pm. These issues were felt to be serious ones. It was introduced by a one page introduction written by myself (titled Multi-Media or One Medium – Where is the Fourth Estate Heading?). Marc Marusic then offered of his thoughts as a series of comments on this paper…

	In the midst of this forum, and in reflection upon its richness of observations, I became less pessimistic about the future of media and the negative consequences it could have for democracy both in Australia and in the world in general. I would like to now note some of these observations, etc., that have restored in some measure my natural optimism on life despite my only too painful awareness of life’s faults, imperfections, defects and ultimate failure to maintain its integrity in this world. Let me list these ‘observations’.

1.	The genre of newspaper, e.g., is to be truth-telling in its reporting of the world. We expect newspaper to do that! If a newspaper is often too sensational in its sub-editing and/or content this expected truth-telling nature of that particular newspaper gets discounted and treated accordingly. So, if we want entertainment we might read it. Then, again, if we want ‘fiction’ we might instead choose a novel, a comic, etc. Or choose another newspaper that is considered by ourselves to be truth-telling in its reporting, etc.

2.	In an enterprise there is always an interaction between means and ends, the pragmatics of its business and ideal goals. The successful history of that enterprise means there must have a successful balance maintained between the same. Therefore, if a newspaper is meant to be truth-telling in its reporting it must do that to some extent or it will fail as a newspaper; either ceasing to continue or changing form through transformation into some other genre.

3.	A text is not uniform in the expression of an imposition of an externally driven agenda. E.g., a newspaper might be ‘talking up’ war in order to sell more newspapers, often the cartoons deconstruct that over serious view. Humour often being found on the edges of our fears. This tendency to deconstruct the primary intent of a text is often a sub-text in cartoon programs like the Simpsons, South Park, etc. In films, e.g., some very serious issues can be dealt with in such a manner as to serious alter, in a positive fashion, the views a culture might generally entertain about certain topics. Then, again., sub-editors often do the same sort of thing with their humorous titles. I have already noted the misrepresentative nature of titles (and also introductions, conclusions, summaries, etc.). That misrepresentation ceasing when the nature of that misrepresentation is seen through.

4.	The elites may a media/medium that is dumb-downed – there is still the Internet and the marketplace (that might still wish to cater for that ‘elite’ segment of the market in a economically viable form). It is the nature of people to gossip, and gossip they will! Even topics not mentioned are notable sometimes for their lack of mention. E.g., did (many) people complain in public about the smell of the Nazi’s crematoria?

5.	The Internet may not substitute for newspapers, etc., it can act as a great complement. This fact has been demonstrated through the sudden organization of protests, etc.

6.	Although a lack of a critical media might have adverse effects on a democracy there is also today a trend for a trans-national intervention and arbitration. E.g., the influence of the E.U. on individual states in Europe, the rule of international law and the consequences of treaties, trials dealing with human rights violations….

7.	Put together we may not need to despair as much… but still we need to maintain our vigilance (as an individual, a group of individuals… can have some positive influence for change?)!!

							         Noël Tointon, Sydney, 12.2.03.